Graduates may know their PowerPoint from their Adobe Acrobat, but not many have the business acumen to land a job - at least not if they were one of the 200 graduates who applied for positions at Lewis PR this year. While more than 80% of those interviewed by the company knew the latest technology, only 30% could name the international stock markets and just 20% asked about the company's financial record. Only 10% followed up their interview with an email or phone call - a basic rule of the PR industry, apparently. Lewis PR says universities are not giving students good commercial training. "Just because graduates haven't studied finance, that doesn't mean they shouldn't know about business performance and the markets," says Carol-Ann White, Lewis' HR director.

Out of joint

Bad news this week for physiotherapy students, after a survey found half of this year's graduates have failed to secure their first NHS job. Figures released by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy show that six months after finishing their degrees, 53% of graduates are still looking for work in the sector. The society says that, despite the government's agreed expansion of the workforce to meet increasing patient demand and reduce waiting lists, not enough has been done to create more junior posts. "With Christmas approaching and a new batch of students graduating in the new year, we face the very real possibility of losing physiotherapy talent and over £23m worth of public money to other industries," says the chief executive of the CSP, Phil Gray. "That would be an utter scandal."

Courting staff

The Crown Prosecution Service is offering 25 new positions nationwide as part of a scheme to attract "some of Britain's highest calibre and diverse law graduates". Starting next May and September, the jobs are open to those who have completed their legal practice or bar vocational courses. Applications will be accepted between December 12 and January 20, and the CPS will be holding roadshows to promote the scheme around the country over the next few weeks. See makethecase.co.uk for more details.

Micro climate

Four students at the University of Lincoln were last week awarded the British Interactive Media Association Student Award for their Virtual Garden website. The site allows users to control the weather in the garden and watch plants grow by making sounds and movements - rather than using a keyboard and mouse. The website was produced by Hull-based students Nick Goward, Linze Holt, Graham Musk and Lisa Gray. The judges said that the team had managed to create a "thoroughly enthralling environment for people to explore".

Cut Glass

A University of Glasgow graduate also had reason to celebrate, having been shortlisted for the Scottish Saltire Society/Royal Mail First Book of the Year award. Rodge Glass, who took the university's creative writing course and is now working towards a PhD, was nominated for his book No Fireworks, chronicling eight days in the life of Abe Stone, a Henry VIII-fixated history teacher and alcoholic. Willy Maley, head of Glasgow's creative writing course, said Glass had great tenacity to keep revising his text: "That's how you get diamonds from Glass."